Chapter 131 Space Era Orbital Journey

Orbital elevator.

Refers to a large-scale transportation facility that enables more convenient exchange of materials and personnel between space and the surface.

As early as the 1970s, Atlas had already opened a research project on high-strength materials, including "carbon nanotubes", "high-strength steel" and "titanium-tantalum alloy".

The main purpose is for space activities, such as metal materials that support the keel, hull, deck and outer structure of space ships, and "steel cables" that support space elevators.

Among them, "titanium-tantalum alloy" has been used on the Selene-class transport ship.

The orbital elevator that Lei Ruoya looked at through the sealed window used "carbon nanotubes" and "high-strength steel".

Before she started her journey, she had read the relevant information published on the company's official website.

The reason why Atlas set up the construction site in Gabon is that the orbital elevator must be located at the equator. After all, the design of the space elevator depends on the synchronization of the ground and the orbit.

And the space station where the orbital elevator is located, which is also the destination of Lei Ruoya's trip, is about 37,000 kilometers from the ground...

This is no longer in the scope of low-Earth orbit, but in the true sense of space.

You should know that the average distance between the earth and the moon is "only" 380,000 kilometers.

In this way, the space city at 37,000 kilometers can orbit the earth with the same period, and the orbital inclination is zero, which is almost completely stationary relative to the surface of the earth.

At the same time, another working principle of the orbital elevator is similar to a chain ball with a long rope.

The outermost space city is equivalent to a super-giant chain ball and is pulled by the rotation of the earth.

So when it is at the equator, the counterweight is under the least force; when it is not at the equator, the force increases, which is extremely unfavorable for stable operation.

In addition to the construction materials being core secrets, most of the working principles of the orbital elevator are public matters on the official website.

Not only that, the new media department even produced a large number of animated short films to inspire children's understanding of the field of physics.

Atlas attaches great importance to the development of the education system and will never tolerate any termites entering the system.

Because children represent hope and the future.

If students are afraid of being bullied by teachers and classmates every day when they go to school, then Atlas and even the whole human race may lose a physicist or a master of mathematics.

Of course, if this phenomenon is not solved, it will directly affect the harmony and stability of society.

So Atlas is "going its own way" in education. Through absolute economic advantages, it allows all cooperating countries to carry out comprehensive reforms in the education system and has also issued many mandatory penalties and punishment measures.

But Lei Ruoya does not understand the deep intention of the company's production of popular science cartoons. Now, like everyone in the dining car, she is staring at the towering orbital elevator.

It's really...

A shock that goes straight to the heart.

Since her parents died, she has been sneaking in the human world alone for thirty years.

During these thirty years, in addition to avoiding the pursuit of those guys who worked for Julian Bellafira, Leroya also witnessed the rapid development of the human world.

Thirty years ago, humans imagined how they would travel the stars, but they thought that everything was too far away and could not be realized in a short time.

There are even more pessimistic thoughts, believing that humans have self-destructed before they officially step into the vast stars and become part of the long river of history.

However, thirty years later, maglev trains have become the main means of transportation, holographic technology has been fully applied, and medical services are far superior to before...

The most important thing is that with the help of Atlas, humans have quietly opened the space era.

…

More than ten minutes passed in a flash.

When Leroya saw that the size of the orbital elevator was getting "bigger" and the scene outside the window was getting clearer, she knew that the train was about to arrive at the station and was gradually slowing down.

So she got up from her seat, picked up her only backpack, came to the end of the dining car, and stopped in front of the cabin door waiting.

At this moment, the train speed has stabilized at 80 kilometers per hour, and the carriage remains stable during the deceleration.

Through the closed window of the cabin door, Lei Ruoya saw a city that is no less than New Accra -

Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

Brand-new buildings can be seen everywhere, and the extremely complete infrastructure is the norm in cities invested and built by Atlas.

However, with Lei Ruoya's extraordinary vision, she also found that the police patrolling on the street were all wearing dark blue uniforms, and the armbands were printed with eye-catching Atlas logos.

Although she has not worked for a long time, she also understands that the actual planning of Libreville has been fully responsible by the company.

Not only her, but also most netizens and the public know that such cities or regions are equivalent to Atlas' "assets", but not many people feel strange.

If we use a few posts from the local community in Libreville as an explanation, then everything makes sense, namely:

"Just realized! In the past three years, Atlas seems to have done more than the official in the past twelve years?!"

"Hahaha, this year's income has reached a new high! I can have enough money to have a second child!"

"Guys, have you noticed that there are fewer and fewer robberies and shootings? And at night, the roadside is full of barbecue and snack stalls." etc.

It is precisely because Atlas has gradually integrated into it and improved the quality of life of residents, instead of engaging in fraud and cutting leeks, that it has received real understanding and support.

As for the local and foreign capital consortiums, they are naturally unwilling to give up their interests and want to use public opinion wars and commercial wars to maintain the power of squeezing local people.

The results speak for themselves.

Atlas never plays tricks in business wars, and directly adopts the most "unpretentious" physical methods to force those capital consortiums to "be sensible".

soon.

Leroya noticed that the speed of the train had dropped to the slowest speed, and she also saw the platform outside the window.

Didn't have to wait long.

The train came to a complete stop.

The flight attendants also came to the beginning and end of each train to ensure that no passengers would lean on the doors that were about to open.

Beep-beep-!

Accompanied by a short, harsh reminder.

call--!

There was a surge of air, and the airtight hatch that maintained the air pressure inside the carriage was completely opened, allowing passengers to get off first.

"Hi~hoo!"

The first thing Leroya did when she left the car window was to take a deep breath with her eyes slightly closed to relieve the fatigue of the long journey.

Then, instead of following the "large army" onto the escalator leaving the platform, she headed to the underground floor.

But here, there are still many maglev tracks and block-shaped maglev trains that look more solid in structure.

Leroya took out her civilian version of the Titan mobile phone.

After swiping her face to unlock the screen and checking the transfer ticket information, she looked around and said to herself:

"Car No. 1 at Station C... Car No. 1 at Station C... Ha! Here."

Leroya's eyes lit up, she called up the QR code for the transfer ticket and ran towards platform numbered C.

The vote passed.

Enter the carriage.

The structure inside is completely different from the ordinary maglev car, especially the row of seats equipped with seat belts and fixed frames, which gives Leroya the feeling of being about to ride a roller coaster.

She came to her own seat, put her backpack in the storage cabinet, then sat down, and buckled her seat belt in sequence according to the prompts on the holographic screen.

When all seats were filled, the time displayed on the holographic screen came to 14:16.

A female flight attendant wearing a black uniform and a red and white scarf came to the front with a standard smile and reminded:

“Welcome everyone to board this train, our destination will be the space city located 37,000 kilometers away.

As a reminder, the train does not need to break through the first cosmic speed to enter outer space.

And, for the safety of all passengers, please make sure your seat belts are buckled and remain buckled until we reach outer space.

This train will officially depart in two minutes. At that time, everyone will also see the Earth, the home planet that should be familiar but is very unfamiliar, from a new perspective. "

After speaking, the flight attendant cooperated with another of her colleagues to conduct a final inspection.

After confirming that all passengers had fastened their seat belts, the two flight attendants also sat at the front and rear of the train.

14:20.

With a "clang" sound, the fixed frame automatically buckled on the seat, and the train started on time, carrying everyone away from the platform.

Immediately afterwards, the airtight safety windows placed on both sides and top of the train showed Leroy and everyone the underground tunnels and tunnels of the hub station one by one.

The suburban scenery outside the tunnel,

The blue sea reflecting the sparkling waves,

Finally, they entered a semi-open tunnel composed of carbon nanotubes, high-strength steel, room-temperature superconducting ore and stable condensed matter.

It is then powered by a nuclear fusion power plant on the surface, giving all tunnels stable electromagnetic buoyancy and thrust.

Then, Leroya noticed that the scenery on both sides of the car windows began to tilt...

tilt…

Until it was tilted to a ninety-degree angle, and she was in a completely lying position, clinging tightly to the seat.

Swish——!

! !

Leroya felt a strong pushing sensation on her back and strong tinnitus, just like the sudden acceleration of an ordinary maglev train, or the force of a traditional passenger plane taking off.

"Ah...help...I regret buying the ticket...Mom, help me..."

Suddenly, Leroya saw from the corner of her eye that a young man sitting next to her closed his eyes tightly and kept mumbling various words of regret.

They were sitting vertically, and it was difficult for them to clearly observe what was outside through the safety windows placed on the sides and top.

This situation can cause a phobia of losing control or a phobia of heights. No wonder the young people around her have this reaction.

Leroya turned her head slightly and focused her eyes on the screen on her right.

It was found that the speed of the train was also maintained at 930 kilometers per hour, and their climbing height was already 100 kilometers. The words "60% 61% 62%" were also displayed on the right side of the screen.

When the screen reaches "100%", the pushing sensation and strong tinnitus disappear.

Moreover, their hair no longer hangs down, but extends in different directions, and their limbs are also "swaying with the waves", as if they are in the ocean.

"Dear passengers." At this time, a flight attendant reminded everyone through the radio:

"We have just passed the Karman Line, which is about 160 kilometers from the surface, and have successfully reached the outer layer of the atmosphere, so the air resistance here has approached zero."

As he spoke, another flight attendant actually removed the fixed frame and seat belt, floated to the top of the crowd with ease, leaned against the skylight, took over the colleague who ended the broadcast, and smiled:

"Next, my colleagues and I will witness the most important and exciting scene of this trip with you."

The voice fell.

Lei Ruoya found that she and all the seats were slowly turning and adjusting the angle. Finally, they faced the skylight that was originally located above their heads, and also saw.

The earth "under their feet".

"Wow!!!"

"This is so beautiful!"

"Hahaha! I spent an extra six hundred, and I felt that I lost money at first, but I didn't expect it to be really worth it!"

In the car, there was a burst of exclamation.

"Wow...!" Lei Ruoya was also one of them who was full of emotion.

Everyone knows about the earth, but no one looks at and appreciates it from this angle.

"Haha." Seeing the reactions of the crowd, the attendant still smiled and introduced:

"There is no air obstruction in the current area, which allows the train to accelerate without any worries.

So we will arrive at our destination, the space city, in forty-five minutes.

During this period, the maximum speed of the train can reach 17 kilometers per second, which has reached the third cosmic speed enough to escape the solar system.

And we are still riding a civilian train. If it is an unmanned truck traveling through the tunnels opposite, the speed will only be faster."

Speaking of this, the attendant paused and Using the hand-grabbing relay method, she controlled her body to gradually move away from the skylight and continued to introduce:

"As for our destination, the space city, it has not been completely completed yet.

According to the expected scale of our Atlas, the space city will be a real city integrating entertainment, life, and construction.

However, even if only some areas are open, it is enough for everyone to experience the fun of low-gravity environment.

Then I won't bother you too much. If anyone needs to go to the bathroom, please raise your hand and I will focus on the precautions when going to the bathroom."

After that, the flight attendant drifted back to the area below.

When Lei Ruoya saw that the other party no longer blocked the skylight, she immediately took out her mobile phone, adjusted the angle, and took a bird's-eye view of the earth.

Afterwards, she habitually typed the words "Thank you" on the screen, but deleted it immediately and changed it to "Thank you Atlas for letting me see the earth from another angle."

Then, Lei Ruoya uploaded the copy and pictures to the short video platform opened by her colleagues in the network department.

As for the Lord whom Lei Ruoya wanted to thank, Sui Yang, he was currently in the underground base of Accra, observing a practical experiment.